Noticing the signs of hearing loss in children early can make a world of difference. Kids learn language, social skills, and confidence by listening to the people around them. When hearing is reduced, those developmental building blocks can get wobbly. The tricky part is that hearing loss in children isn’t always obvious.

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a type of hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea or the auditory nerve. Historically, it was also called “nerve hearing loss” or even “nerve deafness,” and it affects how sound signals travel from your ear to your brain.

Muffled hearing in one ear can feel like your ear is blocked, clogged, or “underwater.” When it happens suddenly, it’s natural to worry. In many cases, this one-sided muffled hearing is caused by something temporary and treatable—such as earwax buildup, congestion, fluid, or pressure changes in the ear.

Hearing loss can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re unsure what your options are. The good news is that hearing loss can often be treated or effectively managed with today’s medical care, hearing aids, hearing implants, and communication support — depending on the types and causes of hearing loss. Read on to explore today’s treatment options and learn which approaches are used for different hearing needs.

Unilateral hearing loss means reduced or absent hearing in one ear, while the other ear hears better or even normally. If the hearing loss is profound, it is also known as unilateral deafness, single-sided deafness (SSD), or one-sided deafness.

Find out how a lifelong commitment to helping people through medical technology led Dr. Ingeborg Hochmair to develop an implant that has enabled hundreds of thousands of people hear.